Railway-road-bed-grading apparatus.



H. B. EARLING.

RAILWAY ROAD BED GRADING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION TILED JULY16, 1908.

91 3, 109 Patented Feb. 23, 1909.

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APPLICATION FILED JULY 16. 1908.

Patented Feb. 23, 1909.

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H. B. EARLING.

RAILWAY ROAD BED GRADING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 16, 1908.

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RAILWAY "ROAD BED GRADING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JULYIG. 1908.

91 3, 109. Patented Feb. 23, 1909.

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H. B. EARLING.

RAILWAY ROAD BED GRADING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 16, 190a.

91 3, 109. Patented Feb. 23, 1909.

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Witnasses: Inf/6J2 for By fzifiAtz/onwys HERMAN B. EARLIVG, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

RAILWAY-ROAD-BED-GRADIN G APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 23, 1909.

Application filed July 16, 1908. Serial No: 448,764.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HERMAN B. EARLING, a citizen of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and Stateof Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway- Road Bed Grading Apparatus; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the inven- 'tion, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. 1

My invention has for its especial object to provide a highly eflicient grading apparatus for use in connection with a car, for sloping or otherwise grading-embankments and cuts of railway road-beds; andto this end it consists of-the novel devices and combina tions of devices hereinafter described and defined in the claims.

As preferably constructed, the grading apparatus comprises a pair of graders that are independently mounted on the opposite ends of a long supporting frame, which latter is intermediately mounted'on a fiat car for both rotary and vertical movements. \Vhen the supportin frame is turned transversely of the car, tie graders will be sup ported thereby, one on each side of the car; and the said graders are so connected to said support that they are capable of angular adjustments and vertical adjustments in respect to said supporting frame, and of movements toward and from the car. In this way the raders are supported so that they are capab e of action on a very considerable areia of an embankment or cut of the roadbe When the grader supporting frame is raised and turned longitudinally of the car body, the said support and graders will be located over the car body, so that the car, with the complete grading apparatus, will go through tunnels and bridges, and, in fact, may be moved any place where an ordinary car will run. J

IVhen it is desired to grade a section of the road-bed, by running the car up and down the track, the two graders may, just before the direction of travel of the car is changed,i'be shifted from one side to the other of the car, by vertical movement and by a half-rotation of said supporting frame.

For quickly imparting vertical movements to the rotary 's'up orting frame, an air or steam hoist, inclu ing a large cylinder and piston, is preferably applied between the car body and the sup ortmg frame.

Any suitable gra ing device having a scraper blade or plow may be used in connection with the rotary and vertically movable supporting frame, but in practice I have found it convenient to use a grading machine known to the trade as the Western reversible road grading machine In the accompanying drawings which illustrate the improved grading apparatus applied to a fiat car, like characters indicate like parts thpoughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view, showing the grading apparatus, including the car, but with one of the graders removed from the rotary supporting frame. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken approximately on the oblique line a2 :0 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is' a horizontal section taken on the line :0 m of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a view partly in elevation andpartly in section on the line (r of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a detail View in elevation, lookingrearward at the parts shown in the vicinity of the line. marked :11 w on Fig. 1; and Fig. 7 is a detail section onthe line a, 12 of Fig. 1.

Of the parts of the fiat car, it is only desirable for the purposes of this case to particularly note the platform or body 1 and the wheels 2, the latter being shown in diagram only. On the end port-ions of the car body 1 are strong horse or frame supporting rests 3.

The rotary grader supporting frame is made up of a pair of long, parallel, so-called track beams 4 (as shown and preferred, in the form of I-beams) that are rigidly tied together at their intermediate portions, preferably by laterally spaced tie bars or spreaders 5 and by oblitcilue brace plates 6.

Rigidly secure to the central portion of the car body 1, in an upright position, is a large and heavy cylinder 7, to the upper head of which is secured a cylinder extension 8. To the upper end of the cylinder extension 8 is rigidly secured the lower member 9 of a turn table 910, both of which members are of annular form, and between which anti-friction bearing balls 11 are interposed. As shown, the cylinder7, cylinder extension 8 and lower member 9 of the turn table are rigidly connected by long bolts 12, as best shown in Fig. 3. The member 10 has a depending flange that carries set screws 13, the ends of which work in an annular groove of the member 9, so as to prevent separation of the said members 9 and 10 while permitting free rotation of the said member 10. Both of the members 9 and 10 are of annular form, and said member '10 carries heavy lugs 14, to which, as shown, are bolted laterally spaced pairs of plates that constitute sheave-carrying arms 15. On each lug 14 is journaled a guide sheave 16, and on each sheave carrying arm 15 is journaled a guide sheave 17. Working in the cylinder 7 is a piston 18 having a rod 19 that works through the head of said cylinder and is provided with a swiveled head 20. This swiveled head 20 is bifurcated and is provided with guide sheaves 21 and 22 set in planes at right'angles to each other. Two cables 23 are run over the alined sheaves l6 and 17 and under the cooperating sheaves 21 that are alined with said sheaves 16 and 17, and the ends of said -two cables are attached one toeach of the four brace plates 6 of the vertically movable and rotatively mounted grader supporting frame. With this hoisting device it is evident that when the piston 18 is moved downward the grader supporting frame will be raised; and conversely, when the said piston is moved upward the said supporting frame will be'lowered; and it is further evident that when the said' supporting frame is raised so that the graders will clear the car body, said frame may be rotated on its ball bearing, under which movement the swiv: eledhead 20 will rotate with the movable member 10 of the turntable, without causing the piston to rotate.

or supplying the motive fluid to the upper end of the cylinder 7, a pipe 24 is eX- tended therefrom td a suitable source of supply,.not shown, but which may be assumed to be a compresser on the car or on the engine; or if steam be employed it may be from the boiler of the englne. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, this pipe 24 is provided with a three-way valve 25 for controlling the supply of motive fluid to the cylinder and the exhaust thereof from the cylinder.

To center the grader supporting frame for pivotal or rotary movements around the axis of ,the cylinder 7, while permitting vertical -movements of said frame, a quite heavy metal cylindrical jacket 26 is rigidly secured around the said cylinder and around a portion of the cylinder extension 8; a centering ring 27 (which, as shown, is divided) is rigldly secured to the track beams 4 and tie bars'5 of the said supporting frame by radial bars 27 and casterwheels 28 are applied to said centering ring 27 and are arranged to run on the outer surface of said cylindrical jacket 26.

' On the carbody 1 are four frame locking devices "ich erve to hold the grader supporting frame against rotationv when it is.

laterally spaced brackets 29, the upper endsof which diverge, and the lower ends of whichare rigidly secured to the car body. When 'the grader supporting frame is lowered as above described the track beams 4 are dropped between the brackets 29" and thus the frame is locked against rotation, as above stated. By reference to Fig/ 1 itwill be noted that when the supporting frame is lowered onto the car body and its beams 4 engaged and. held by the lock devices 29, the entire transverse intermediate portion of the car body serves as a base of support for the said supporting frame.

As shown, each grader'comprises or includes what may be designated as a draw frame or bar 30, a scraper blade-31, and an apnular bearing, one member 32 of which is rigidly secured to the draw frame 30, and

the other member 33 of which is rigidly connected, by arms 34, to the scraper blade 31, so that said scraper blade is capable of angular adjustments in a horizontal plane but is secured for adjustments in a vertical direction with the said draw frame 30. The customary or any suitable means for imparting horizontal angular or rotary adjustments to the scraper blade 31 and for securing the same in different set positions may be employed. The frame made of the drag bar 30 and bearing ring or member 32 1S suspended, by three independently adjustable hangers, from a traveling grader carriage, which latter is mounted for lateral adjustments on the projecting ends of the track beams 4 of the rotary grader supporting frame. More specifically described, each grader frame 35 has four wheel brackets 36 equipped with wheels 37 arranged to run on the lower flanges of the I-beamsor so-called track; beams 4; and each such carriage has a platform 38 on which an operator may stand.

Each scraper supporting hanger comprises a rack bar 39 that works vertically through a guide bracket 40 and meshes with a pinion 41 on a shaft .42, one'end of which is journaled in the cooperating bearing bracket 40. Each guide bracket 40 is connected to a bearing 43 oncthe frame 35, by a swivel joint which permits lateral oscilla-' tions of the cooperating rack bar 39.

InFig. 6 the hanger which connects the front end of the drag frame or bar 30 to the carriage frame 35 1s shown, but all three hangers, in so far as above described, are of the same construction. The rack bar 39 in this forward hanger is attached by .a ball and socket connection 44 to the front end of said frame 30, while the lower ends of the other two rack bars are connected, by similar ballhand socket joints, to the opposite sides of the annular bearing member '32, which latter is rigidly secured to said frame 30.

The shaft 42, from the front hanger, is

.extended rearward and provided with a toward or from. the car, and may be given any desired forward or rearward pitch, so

a that the said scraper blade may be set for all conditions of work.

The scraper blade of the graders may be,

adjusted bodily on the supporting frame toward or from the car, by niovementsof the grader carriage on the track beams of said support. To readily accomplish this adjustment rack bars 49 are secured to the lower edges of the I-beams 4, and spur pin ions or gears 50 and 51 journaled in the wheel brackets 36 are in mesh with said racks. The gears 51 are secured on an operating shaft 52, which'at one end has a hand wheel 53 within reach ofthe operator on the platform 38. The gear 50 (see .Fig. 5) is normally engaged and locked by-a spring-pressed lock bolt 54 mounted in-a bearing 55 on the carriage and subject to a foot-actuated releasing lever 56, shown as pivotally connected to said bracket 55. As is evident,yw11en thelock bolt 54 is engaged with the gear 50,. the grader carriage is locked against movement on the supporting frame. When said lock bolt is released from.

said gear and the'gea'rs 51 are rotated by turning the hand wheel 53, the entire grader proper 'will be caused to travel bodily on the I-beams 4, either toward or from the car, according to the direction of rotation of said hand wheel 53:, w

In'order that there may be a straightahead (pull on the scrapers; drag arms 57 arepivote to the opposite sides of the car, near each end thereof, and the arms that are ahead of the respective scrapers are connccted, preferably by chains 58, to the forwardly extended ends of the corresponding draw bars or frames 30. These arms 57 are adapted to be turned into inoperative positions against the sides of the car body, but when extended into 0 erative positions, they are tied to the ends of the car bod by brace rods 59 having, at their outer en s, caps 60 that detachably engage with the free ends of the respective arms. The chains 58, at

their free ends, are provided with head-s61 arranged to slide in the arms 57 and to be adjustably secured thereto by pins 62, said .heads ,61 the may be used for correcting the slope of emmanual labor.

arms having perforations through which the pins may be assed. By adjustments of the line of draft on the scraper may be varied; and,'furthermore, movements of. the scrapers toward and from the. car body will require different adjustments of the said heads 61 in order to give the desired draft on the scraper.

.The grading apparatus above described bankments and cuts, for gathering loosestone, gravel, or earth, close to the ends of the ties, for tamping. urposes, or for throw-. Eng-the same away rom the track, as the. conditions of. work may require. It isalso efficient for use to form or toclean ditchesthrough cuts. In fact, it is capable of use for doing various kinds of rading of a road-bed which hithertohas been done by In ractice the improved grading apparatus as been put into actua use and as been found hi%lly eflicient for the purposes had in-view. y its use the cost of gradin -a road-bed hasbeen very greatly reduce through the elimination of numerous laborers hitherto required to do the work.

Instead of the device usually designated as a radcr proper,'I, propose, in some instances, to support by the novel means above described a mowing attachment for mowing the right of way as far out from the track as permitted by the swinging support. In this instance an ordinary sicklebar may be suspended from the ends of the so-called gradersupport and the sickle can be operated by means of compressed air, steam, or by a mechanism transmitting power from the car wheels. In any case the sickle bar will be so mounted that it couldbe raised or lowered at either end to fit the contour of the ground.

\Vhat I claim is:-

1. The combination with a car, of a grader support, carried by and extended trans- \"ersely-beyond the 'body thereof, a grader carried by said support at one side of the car, and means for adj ustably securing said grader to said support and for positively the same against both vertical and lateral movements, a drag arm (projecting from the side of the car body, an

a drag connection between said arm and said grader.

3. The combination with a car, of a grader support 'carriedlby the car and pro ecting beyond the sides thereof, and a pair of graders carried by said support, one on each side of the car.

4. The combination with a car, of a grader support having track beams projecting from the opposite sides ofthe car, and a pair of graders 'adjustably mounted on said track" beams, and located one on each side of the (-211- The combination witha car, of a grader support carried by said car and projecting from the opposite sides thereof, drag arms projecting at the opposite sides of the car, graders mounted on said support, connected to said 'drag arms, and located one on each side of the car and means for adjusting said graders on said support and for positively holding thesame in different adjustments.

6. The combination with a car, of a grader support having track beams projecting at both sides of the car, drag arms pro ectin outward from each side of the car, an

graders adjustably mounted on said track beams and adjustably connected to said dra arms, said graders being located one on eac side of the car.

7. The combination with a car, of a grader support rotatively mounted on said car and arranged to be turned transversely thereof, with its ends projecting on opposite sides of the car, and a air of graders mounted on the opposite en s of said support and adapted to be carried onto the car body, by rotation of said support.

8. The combination with a car, of a grader support mounted to rotate and move vertically on the body of said car, and a grader 'carried by said support and movable thereby, from an operatlve position at one side of the car into an inoperative position ontop of the car body, and vice versa.

9. The combination with a car, of a grader support pivotally connected at its intermediate portion to the car body, means for moving the said rader support vertically on the car body, and posite ends of said support and adapted to be moved thereby from operative positions on opposite sides of the car, into inoperative positions on top of the car body, and vice versa.

10. The combination with a car, of a grader support intermediately pivoted to the car body for horizontal rotary movements, and graders carried by the opposite ends of said support, and which graders, by movements of said support, are adapted to be simultaneously carried from one side to the other of said car. a v

11. The combination with a car, of a grader support intermediately pivoted to" the car body, for horizontal rotary movements, a'

power device for raising and lowering said support bodily, and graders applied to the projecting ends of said support.

12. The combination with a car, of a grader support intermediately pivoted to the car body for horizontal rotary movements, a

ton working graders carried by the opcylinder and piston for moving said support vertically in respect to the car body, and graders carried by the ends of said support.

13. The combination with a. car, of a cylinder' secured in an upright position on the car body, a grader support mounted to move vertically and to rotate around said cylinder,

a piston working in said cylinder and con-,- nected to said support, for raising and lower- 7 ing the latter, and graders carried by the ends of said support.

14. The combination-with a car, of an upright cylinder secured on the car body, a grader support mounted to move vertically and to rotate around said cylinder, cable guides supported above said \cylinder, a pis-Y in said cylinder, cables extendingover said cable guides, attached to said support and subject to said piston, and suitable valve mechanism for controlling the supply of motive fiuidto said cylinder.

15. The combination with a car,-of a grader support mounted to move vertically and to rotate on the said car body, graders carried by the ends of said support, and locking devices and rest devices on the car body, the

former serving to lock said grader support I against rotation when turned transversely of the car and lowered, and the latter servlng tohold said grader sup ort in an elevated position when the latter nally of the car.

16. The combination with a car, of an up- 1s turned longitudi- -right cylinder secured on the car body, a grader supporting frame mounted to move vertically and to rotate around said cylinder,

a piston in said cylinder having connections for raising and lowering said supporting frame, said supporting frame having parallel track beams, lock devices on the car'body with which the track beams of said supporting frame are engageable when said frame is turned transversely of the car and lowered, graders adj ustably mounted on the opposite ends of said track beams, and rest devices on the opposite end portions of the car body adapted to support said frame and the graders in elevated positions when the said supporting frame is turned longitudinally of the car.

ten ing transverse1y of the car, graders mounted to move bodily on said track beams toward and from the car body, the said graders having adjustable scraper blades and drag connections, and drag arms projecting outward from the sides of the car body and to which said drag connections are adjustably attached.

19. The combination with a car and a grader supporting frame extending trans-- versely thereof, of graders adjustable bodily on the ends of said supporting frame, toward and from the car, said graders having adj ustable scrapers with forwardly extended draw bars, means for adjusting the free ends of said draw bars vertically, and drag arms applied to the sides of the car body, and drag connections between the said draw bars and cooperating drag arms.

20. The combination with a car and a grader supporting frame intermediately pivoted to the intermediate portion ofthe car body, for horizontal rotary movements, of

graders carried by the ends of said support-' travel of the car.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

HERMAN B. EARLING.

lVitnesses: I

HARRY D. KILGoRE, F. D. Mnncimn'r. 

